what's a floating number?

what's a floating number?

由Mary Cooch發表於
Number of replies: 9
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Sorry for my Huge ignorance, but one of the database fields is "number" and it says (quote)

Number

Stores a floating number. Examples:

  • -1000
  • 0
  • 0.123

What does this mean? I don't understand and have never used this field複雜

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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: what's a floating number?

由Itamar Tzadok發表於

As opposed to integer which is confined to whole numbers (1, 2, 13 etc.), float allows for decimals and as such has a floating . (dot) which is floating in the sense that it can move along the number:

123.0
12.30
1.230
0.123

微笑

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In reply to Itamar Tzadok

Re: what's a floating number?

由Mary Cooch發表於
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Ah I see- so you it just means a number with a decimal point then?微笑 (I am a Word person not a number person!) What sort of use might that be in a database?

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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: what's a floating number?

由Itamar Tzadok發表於

Well, I suppose it may be useful if you want to record information such as height in feet. Using just whole numbers in such a case might give a very wrong impression (for better or worse). 微笑



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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: what's a floating number?

由Robert Brenstein發表於
This should probably refer to real numbers. Fixed or floating point number (not floating number) refers to computational representations of a real number. That is a programmers' view. For users, they are really just real numbers, that is numbers that can have not only integer but also decimal part.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_numbers
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In reply to Robert Brenstein

Re: what's a floating number?

由Itamar Tzadok發表於

And while we're at it, it may be worthwhile to consider also complex numbers which can have not only real but also imaginary part. 微笑

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In reply to Itamar Tzadok

Re: what's a floating number?

由Mary Cooch發表於
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I'm more confused than I was when I asked大笑

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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: what's a floating number?

由Robert Brenstein發表於
The quoted description should say

Number -- Stores a real number. Examples: ...

If that field can store imaginary numbers, then it should be:

Number -- Stores a real or imaginary number. Examples: ...

All examples are for real numbers, so the latter may not apply.
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